Six years since their last ever gig, the UK’s godfathers of prog, SikYh, are set to reform to headline on the Red Bull Stage at next year’s Download Festival. The reunion set will see all six original members Mikee W Goodman, Justin Hill, Dan Foord, James Leach, Pin and Dan Weller back together on stage for the headlining set at the same festival that the band played in 2003 and 2006.

SikTh, who released debut album The Trees Are Dead And Dried Out, Wait For Something Wild in 2003 and follow up Death Of Death Day in 2006, parted ways to pursue other projects in 2008. They have since become widely acknowledged as forefathers of British progressive metal, cited as an influence by many of today’s most respected metal bands. Guitarist Dan Weller said:

Some of our greatest memories were playing at Download, so it was the natural place for us to make our return. The truth is we’ve all been dying to play those songs again. Hopefully we can put on an awesome show for the fans.

Mikee W Goodman adds:

So excited with the prospect of singing SikTh songs onstage again! I have missed that wild intensity the music and fans create together. Download Festival is the perfect place to do a comeback show.

SikTh will headline the Red Bull stage at Download on Saturday 14th June 2014.

It’s never easy choosing singles from an album, especially an album where the songs are both well-crafted and packed with lyrics that instantly throw up all kinds of visual ideas, some more bizarre than others. So, following on from No Place Like Home and No Friendly Neighbour, singles one & two from the debut Primal Rock Rebellion album, Awoken Broken, it was decided that followers of the project – new to the public, but several years in the making – should be given the chance to register their vote, and the band’s online sites duly glowed red hot with suggestion and counter-suggestion as to just what single three should be…

An interesting exercise for sure, and by and large, what the Primal Rock People wanted was Tortured Tone… not one of the album’s more deeply rockin’ moments, but certainly one of its most emotive, with a chorus that takes hold then refuses to budge.

For singer, lyric & melody writer Mikee Goodman, ‘Tortured Tone’ has always been a pivotal piece, proving he can shine just as brightly on material on the more measured side of that played by his previous outfit, SikTh, and also giving him the chance to takefull control of the accompanying visuals. Conceived, cast & directed by Mikee, this lovingly constructed clip provides a clear insight into what was going through his mind when he penned the lyrics, and the final edit – again, overseen by Mikee – is sure to become a talking point amongst fans of the project.

“I really wanted to bring the vibe of the song out in this video and I believe this has been achieved, which is something I am really pleased about! This song means so much to me. It is such an emotional song and a real journey in itself. The sorrow in the actress’ eyes was perfect, the scenery in this video was really important too. It has log cabins, woodland, seascapes, huge bright fields, cobble stone hills but the most challenging part was making it rain; I felt it was necessary for the feeling of the song, it was always in my mind. So I built my own rain machine. And it rained!” commented vocalistMikee Goodman.

As with Primal Rock Rebellion in general, there’s no easy option take here, but the end results are all the more satisfying for the time and passion spent…

Produced by Smith & Goodman and mixed by Simon Hanhart, No Friendly Neighbour is taken from the debut Primal Rock Rebellion album, Awoken Broken, released on February 27th 2012, also through Spinefarm.

Nominated in the Best New Band category at this year’s Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards, Primal Rock Rebellion is clear proof that stepping outside of your comfort zone can reap spectacular rewards, with No Friendly Neighbour the full-tilt result of two very different minds meeting somewhere in the middle!

As with the video for previous single, No Place Like Home, the clip for No Friendly Neighbour has been directed by Goodman; however, whereas the ‘No Place…’ promo was a visually OTT affair, showing a world of monsters and trepidation, the new one focuses more on the musicians themselves, with drummer Dan ‘Loord’ Foord (ex-SikTh) also coming further to the fore.

Goodman commented: “We actually shot the new video on the same day as the No Place Like Home one, and it was a very intense experience. mean, I’d been deep in a cave the entire day before – got in at 3am, up at 6am, then started directing, producing, performing and even making the crew breakfast! Really, it was too much to take on, but it pushed me right to the edge – that’s why my performance is so full on. I hope the passion for the music really comes across.”

Super group’s, an odd subject in the metal world, when they work, they’re great (I, Black county communion, Chickenfoot) when they fail, they crash hard (Rock star supernova). PRR consists of 2 men from totally different ends of the metal world scale.
On one side we have vocalist Mikee Goodman from experimental ‘Djent’ band SikTh along with SikTh drummer Dan ‘Loord’ Foord, and on the other we have the guitarist from one of if not THE most popular metal band of all time Iron Maiden, Adrian Smith. This combination alone is enough to make anyone scratch their heads in wonder, it’s like putting Rob Halford with Trent Reznor….oh hang on?!.

The album starts off with No Friendly Neighbour and it’s clear from the first riff Smith plays that this isn’t going to sound like Maiden in any
shape or form, an almost Nu-metal styled riff is played with Goodman doing some spoken word over the top. When the song kicks in its clear that the vocals of Goodman are what makes this band stand out, if you were a fan of his vocals in SikTh then you won’t be disappointed, if you’re looking for Bruce Dickinson, you’ll be looking for an eternity. The song is a great start to the album, while sounding new and fresh it adds some certain Smith influence on the old school side of things towards the end.

Next up is definitely where die hard fans of both bands are either going to smile or cry down to Goodman’s vocals on this maybe a little hard to stomach for some in places but i think they fit the song nicely if a little unconventional. Smith also lends his hand to some Dickinson style woooahh’s in the background and a nice Maiden-esque solo. Next up in the first single from the album ‘I See Lights‘ maybe not the most obvious choice to represent the album due to its repetitiveness of the riff, but the song does show off some nice vocal work from both men here, as we all know Smith did sing a Maiden B-Side and he is more than capable of belting out a good tune. If you listen to this song in depth you will really get a feel of how many vocal styles Goodman really has, and it is rather impressive, especially the lower toned snarls he does, really giving the songs a darker atmosphere.

Bright as a Fire is for me the track of the album, starting off in a
slow Maiden-esque way, the song at first seems like the ballad of the
album but just little over 90 seconds in the song kicks into a mid paced
beast. Probably one of the more commercial of the songs in regards to
structure and vocal deliverance, the songs really quality is the variation of riffs which Smith delivers, the chugging after the chorus really adds a nice heavy touch after the chorus. It must be said that the production of the album is of top quality too, which unfortunately can’t be said for the past few Maiden albums, but they really nailed it on this!

Savage World is definitely one for the SikTh fans, the vocals on this
are pretty crazy, but not enough for older metal fans to turn their nose
up at, which I think is another aspect of the writing they have done well, the balance between the two writing styles is pretty much spot on.

Tortured Tone is the ballad of the album and definitely one of the
better songs on the album, again without the mixed vocal styles, the song would be just your average ballad. Some nice guitar synth touches in the background too as well as Smith does some backing vocals too. The two guys compliment each other well on songs like this. The quality of songs continues throughout the rest of the album. White Sheet Robes is another mini epic song, which lodges itself in your brain once you’ve listened to it. As Tears Come Falling From the Sky is not a song, its 48 seconds of pure madness and an incite to the crazy thoughts of Goodman.

The title track Awoken Broken reminded me a little of System of a Down in the chorus parts, a little crazy, a lot of layers to the song, but
again the thing that makes the song is the basic riffs of Smith with the
craziness of the vocals, I really can’t praise the song writing formula
enough.

Search For Bliss is one of the lighter songs on the album and one where Goodman shows he really can sing in a more, shall we say ‘normal’ style, with that said the song still has its harsh moments halfway through. I can see it being the second single off of the album, not because it’s maybe one of the better of the songs, it just seems more TV and radio friendly compared to the other songs on the album, which is by no means a bad thing. Snake Ladders is a mini story in song form. The music itself reminds me of the Metallica song ‘The Outlaw Torn’ a slower, with heavier riffs which obviously were not used to hearing from Smith in Maiden. Vocally, again it could compare from anything from Metallica to Nick Cave, especially on the spoken word parts, but again delivered in such a great way.

The album ends in a lighter way with ‘Mirror on the Moon‘ a great way to end the album, a more softer side to the band which reminds me of
something off any V.A.S.T album, which is always a good thing. there’s
also a hint of David Bowie to the sing which is definitely unexpected!
All in all I think its pretty safe to say that this album kicks ass – A
lot of it at that! I really hope these 2 make more music in the future and it’s not just a one off project, if this is just the beginning then I for
one can’t wait for what could become of this band. I’m also going out on a limb here and saying this could very well be ‘Album of the Year’ Forget about comparing this to Maiden or SikTh, listen to the album for what it is, a more that excellent modern hard rock and metal album!

Primal Rock Rebellion is the unlikely pairing ofIron Maiden axe wielderAdrian Smith and former SikThfrontman Mikee Goodman. While the two come from different backgrounds (Adrian playing in on of the world’s biggest metal bands and Mikee originally coming from SikTh who are laundered as one of the main inspirations for the djent movement), Primal Rock Rebellion shows a meeting of two different yet musically brilliant minds, resulting in a cohesive whole that displays the individual talents of both members. The guitars and bass on the upcoming album are provided by Adrian whilst the drums are provided by original SikTh drummer Dan “Loord” Foord.

No Friendly Neighbour starts the album with an industrial-like drum section, which provides an interesting pulse to the music when the guitars, in their experimental glory, come in mixed with the vocals. The track progresses into a slightly nu-metalish, Korn meets Disturbed sounding piece. The vocals scream out a certain, unique blend of aggression – having never listened to SikTh, I have no clue if Mikee brought this to the tracks he appeared on in the past. No Friendly Neighbour has one other point of interest, a soothing viola medley (provided by Abi Fry) that works against the rest of the music in a strange way that works so well.

The following track, No Place Like Home, certainly doesn’t lack in angsty lyrics and fierce riffs. The higher pitched vocals offered by Mikee did grate on my nerves a little but this was made up for by the catchy chorus and melodic solo that Adrian masterfully pulls off. I See Lights offers up a very delectable dish of experimental guitars with some pseudo-black metal licks and rough vocals. Bright As A Fire injects a dose of semi-epic sounds into the album easing the listener in a state of calming numbness like a musical anaesthetic. The drum workings are much like a rhythmic heartbeat, keeping the blood of the guitars and bass flowing, keeping the song from becoming stale. The riffs perfectly keep a happy medium of melodic and chugging-like sounds.

Savage World sees the return of the high pitched vocals, creating a Joker-styled psychotic atmosphere within the music. The drum intro for Tortured Tone sounds almost too poppy for the track, though the vocals soon kill off the poppy sound. For the most part, Tortured Tone is more on the alt. rock side of things, compared to the rest of the album. White Sheet Robes comes next. Upon hearing its name, it sounds almost like a lame Christian rock song but the hellish guitars and gruff vocal stylings beg to differ. As Tears Come Falling is basically a poem with some snazzy sound effects that leads into the next part of the album.

And finally the long awaited title track, Awoken Broken, bursts into like a wildfire ravaging the Amazon Rainforest. The vocals border on the lines of extreme metal while the guitars and drums seem to throw down a very thrash-like element into the mix. The song is like a fast, hard slap in the face – An enjoyable slap at least without all the kinky strings attached. Search For Bliss is another track that surprises you with its not so metal-like title and strong use of riffs and drums, topped off with a brilliant sounding layer of vocals.

Snake Ladders slows the pace down but keeps that heavy sound from some of the previous tracks. The lyrics tell a clearly story of betrayal, deceit and violence. The album comes to grinding halt with Mirror & The Moon, slowing the pace down to that of a very slow rock anthem, with the makings of a solemn love song, a nice change from the heavier additions on the album. The vocals show strong adaptability to the song as well and the viola just leaves it nicely polished off.

It’s not often that a meeting of two different musical minds works out but Adrian Smith and Mikee Goodman have created a potential Mona Lisa of the metal world, luckily without the DaVinci Code nonsense surrounding it. The production values are virtually flawless and the different styles that have gone into this are virtually genius.